Backcountry Beacon

The game changed in 1993 when Patagonia introduced a fleece jacket made from recycled soda bottles and paved the way for what would be possible. Now natural and recycled materials are slowly taking the place of many synthetics, and the industry is awash in both consumers and manufacturers who are looking to reduce waste and preserve the environment that they love to play in.

But a company doesn’t just cut a stalk of bamboo and fashion it into a wicking T-shirt. Processing and refinement are required for almost any textile, some less eco-friendly than others. Which fabrics are truly sustainable and which are the result of overhyped greenwashing? We dug a little deeper to help shed some light on the different shades of green.

Cocona

The Lowdown:

Cocona is a trademarked product that uses coconut shell scraps leftover from the air and water filtration industries. These industries convert coconut shells into active carbon, and Cocona purchases the particles that are too small to use. The particles are rendered using a top-secret proprietary process, and then embedded into synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon to provide additional moisture management and odor control.

The Verdict:

Although the use of Cocona keeps materials out of landfills and reduces the need for synthetic fabric finishes, it still relies almost entirely on man-made synthetic fabrics as a carrier. Coconut shells are a biodegradable product by nature, so keeping scraps out of the trash, while admirable, doesn’t quite measure up to keeping plastic or synthetics out of the dump.

Found in: Marmot base layers and sportswear, Backcountry.com socks, Oakley clothing, Sierra Designs sleeping bags

Organic cotton

The Lowdown:

In California alone, cotton production annually employs almost seven million pounds of chemical pesticides, and around 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals used in the U.S. are for cotton growing. Organic cotton farming bypasses the use of harsh chemicals and genetic seed engineering, and focuses rather on biodiversity. Farmers use crop rotation, organic soil matter, and physical weeding and cultivation to lessen environmental impact, and often create habitat for beneficial insects to naturally control pests. But due to the sometimes prohibitively expensive costs and labor associated with organic cotton, it represents less than one percent of global cotton acreage, according to the Sustainable Cotton Project. A third-party certification is also required to label sustainably grown cotton as organic.

The Verdict:

Although any type of farming leaves some kind of mark on the land, organic cotton growing eliminates the need for agricultural pesticides, and can be grown relatively sustainably without relying on any synthetics or oil-based products for an end result. The manufacturing process also forgoes the use of chemical bleaching and harmful additives. According to Patagonia, it even improves the softness of their garments. And thanks to the company’s Common Threads Recycling Program, its organic cotton T-shirts are totally recyclable.

Found in: Patagonia, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, prAna, and The North Face lifestyle clothing

Bamboo

The Lowdown:

Heralded by the high-fashion industry for its soft feel, stylish drape, and comparatively low price, the use of bamboo has begun seeping into the outdoor world. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing grass, able to gain as much as a yard per day. Its extensive root system naturally sprouts new grasses, making replanting after a harvest unnecessary. The shoots and leaves are then rendered into plant cellulose, treated, and spun into a yarn often called bamboo rayon. Other manifestations include bamboo linen, which is made by mechanically smashing bamboo stems into a pulp from which the natural fibers can be spun into yarn, and bamboo charcoal, which employs a process similar to Cocona.

The Verdict:

Bamboo is one of the most sustainable plant fibers available; however, the overall merits are questionable due to the chemical process used to render the plant pulp to a cellulose fiber for yarn making. Harsh solvents like carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide (the main ingredient in Drano), and chemical bleaching do serious damage to the environment, and in the case of bamboo charcoal or carbon, synthetics like nylon and polyester are often a large percentage of the fabric content. Bamboo linen is made using natural enzymes to render the natural fibers, making it a more environmentally
conscious choice. Some manufacturers have begun using more eco-friendly processes, so it’s best to check with the clothing company to see what sources they use.

Found in: The North Face sportswear, Kavu clothing, Sugoi bike clothing

Recycled polyester

The Lowdown:

Starting in 1993 with Patagonia’s fleece made from old soda bottles, recycled polyester has become one of the most widely adapted eco-fabrics in the outdoor industry. In most instances, materials like factory scraps, old plastic bottles, and even worn-out polyester clothing are shredded into chips, melted, then purified and converted to fiber. This fiber is then spun into yarn to make base layers, fleeces, and even outerwear. This fabric is also the most applicable for technical garments due to polyester’s moisture-wicking properties, and recycled polyester fibers are now widely used as insulation in sleeping bags and jackets.

The Verdict:

The end result is not biodegradable and still made from oil-based synthetics, but it keeps trash out of landfills. As long as people continue to use these materials for other applications, recycled polyester will be a viable and waste-reducing product. The North Face estimates that each Denali Fleece Jacket made with Polartec Eco recycled polyester saves 40 pounds of greenhouse gases and half a gallon of gasoline. Programs like Patagonia’s Common Threads also allow polyester fleece and clothing—even if it’s already made from recycled materials—to be recycled into new fibers, reducing the need for virgin materials.

Found in: The North Face clothing and gear, Patagonia clothing and gear, Big Agnes sleeping bags

Merino wool

The Lowdown:

Taken from the merino breed of sheep from New Zealand and Australia, merino wool is another fiber that has inundated the outdoor industry in the past few years, due in part to the wildly popular Smartwool socks. According to Lotus Organics, a blog and purveyor of organic clothing, one square inch of skin on a merino sheep produces four times as many wool fibers as other breeds of sheep. Merino wool fibers are full of tiny air spaces that naturally insulate and manage moisture, and their small diameter makes them drastically less itchy than traditional wool. Wool also absorbs and wicks moisture in its vapor state, unlike synthetics that need condensed liquid to begin the wicking process.

The Verdict:

As wool is essentially just hair, it can be sustainably grown without any adverse effects, while providing natural moisture wicking and odor resistance. However, chemicals are sometimes applied to the live animal to keep pests away and the fibers are sometimes treated with chlorine. Overgrazing can also be a serious issue. Many companies blend merino wool with synthetic fabrics for added stretch or breathability. Also, merino does not denote organic—check with the manufacturer for the skinny on their wool sources. Some companies have committed to chemical-free processing and ethical fiber sourcing, and certifications like the EU’s Ecolabel have encouraged fabric makers to increase their standards for farming and production.

Found in: Smartwool socks and clothing, Darn Tough socks, Ibex clothing, Icebreaker clothing, Backcountry.com clothing, Patagonia base layers

Other Considerations:

At the end of the day, any piece of outdoor clothing or gear leaves behind some kind of footprint on the environment. Synthetic fibers continue to rule the roost in terms of technical clothing, but doing your homework and talking with your wallet will go a long way. And although minimizing impact through choosing sustainable fabrics is important, there are other factors that play into the equation. Here are a few other key considerations to take into account:

Distance Traveled:

Organic cotton T-shirt good. Organic cotton T-shirt made from cotton grown in Egypt, spun in China, sewn in Thailand, and distributed in America bad. The distance a garment travels from fabric creation to distribution can weigh much more heavily than the fabric content (think massive amounts of CO2 generation), so knowing the details of a garment’s globe-trotting escapades is a valuable piece of information. Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles give some transparency into the travels of some of its various items.

Durability and Performance:

In the end, a jacket made from synthetic fabrics that lasts 12 times as long as one made from sustainable fabrics will probably have a lower net impact on the environment. Durable garments that can hold up to prolonged abuse in the field help keep clothing out of the landfill and eliminate the need for new production. There’s a certain amount of brand loyalty involved here, so if you don’t know, read product reviews and ask around. Sustainable AND durable is the key.

Company Ethics

Any company can buy a few carbon credits and put their logo in a green font. Pairing with environmentally friendly suppliers and distributors, using renewable energy for production, and contributing to environmental initiatives and causes are what set apart the brands that care from the eco-posers.